President of the UN General Assembly addresses African, Caribbean and Pacific Council of Ministers, and meets with European Parliament Officials
UNITED NATIONS, New York, 4 May 2017– At the commencement of his visit to Brussels, the President of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson, addressed the 105th Session of the Council of Ministers of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States on Tuesday, 3 May. The President highlighted the unique composition of the ACP Group of States, with its seventy-nine developing country Member States, and expressed that the ACP Group of States exemplified the benefit of partnerships that would be needed to successfully implement the Sustainable Development Goals.
In addressing the ACP Council, the President also stressed the need for the mobilization of significant resources, and the key role of innovation and technology, to support the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. He also encouraged the ACP Group of States, and the organisations within their purview, to register voluntary commitments and ensure high-level representation at The Ocean Conference, to be held at the UN in New York, from 5 to 9 June 2017.
At a meeting with H.E. Mr. Didier Reynders, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, President Thomson thanked Belgium for its strong commitment to SDG implementation, as well as its engagement in The Ocean Conference, for which Belgium was one of the first countries to register a voluntary commitment to combat marine litter. Among other multilateral issues, the President and the Deputy Prime Minister discussed ways to increase the UN’s effectiveness through meaningful reforms.
At a luncheon hosted by the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, President Thomson engaged with the EU Member States’ Ambassadors to the EU (COREPER I) on matters related to the Ocean, climate change and sustainable development. Several Ambassadors expressed their governments’ strong support for The Ocean Conference. President Thomson encouraged high-level participation from EU and its Member States and registration of substantive voluntary commitments on The Ocean Conference website.
President Thomson also recognised the significant contribution made by the EU in the finalization of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate Agreement. He appealed for continued EU leadership in the implementation of these agreements, both within and beyond the borders of the EU.
President Thomson met with Karmenu Vella, EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, to discuss ongoing efforts to reverse the cycle of decline in which the Ocean is currently caught. President Thomson underscored the centrality of SDG14 as the only universally agreed measure to save the health of the Ocean, emphasising the key role of The Ocean Conference to this end.
During his visit to Brussels, President Thomson also had the opportunity to engage with members of the European Parliament from Committees on Environment, Development, Fisheries and Foreign Affairs. He urged the parliamentarians to ensure the EU uses all its regulatory and financial tools and policies to drive the implementation of the SDGs for the benefit of all, within and outside of the EU’s borders. In this regard, the President reported on the preparatory processes for the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration currently ongoing under the auspices of the UN General Assembly.
At a meeting with the EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Mr. Neven Mimica, President Thomson thanked the EU for its commitment to multilateralism and support for sustainable development, noting that the EU and its Member States provide more than 57% of global development assistance. Their discussions covered financing for sustainable development, including climate funding and facilitating greater private sector involvement in sustainable development efforts through packaging of bankable projects.
During his visit, President Thomson also met with representatives of the 22 UN agencies based in Brussels to discuss the various issues central to UN cooperation with the EU.
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